Blade-of-the-Moon's Art

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

What size are you going for with the pachy, 4.5 metres?

The PF to dinosaurs says 4.5 meters/15' except when I measured the skull and then worked up a scale chart for the skeleton I ended up with more like 16'. So that's what size it will be..it might be mostly in the tail but a 1' shouldn't matter much one way or the other.

[triceratops83]

Is the Dinosaur Park all flat forest, or are there rock formations/hilly areas? I was thinking that if any dinosaur should be perched up high it'd be the Pachy, looking proud of itself like a mountain goat.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Is the Dinosaur Park all flat forest, or are there rock formations/hilly areas? I was thinking that if any dinosaur should be perched up high it'd be the Pachy, looking proud of itself like a mountain goat.

lol great minds think alike I see.. 

We have more hills and ditches than anything but I'm trying to use the flattest areas..easier to get dinos in there and in place and have room for their bases too.  There are a couple rocky outcrops that might work well though, of course they are mostly off the main path I need to fill with dinos first for this next expansion. I have a circular trail roughly 300' I think ( haven't measured it yet. ) I hope that 5-6 dinos spaced evenly with benches will be good enough to open it up. All 2016 stuff though.

[triceratops83]

I was thinking of a scene like this, where the visitors, possibly in a rest area, get to look up at the pachy. And of course, He looks down on them...



You could make use of the trees though - have some Microraptors clambering up into the branches... I see you have Archaeopteryx and Rhamphorynchus, how are they displayed?

[stargatedalek]

Man, its been a while since I've replied!
First off, the plesiosaurs and the WIP pics all look great, poor little ammonite
I have an idea for your feather issue, but its probably one you've already considered, what about finding material already in the desired colour, so it wouldn't need to painted?

[Newt]

Pachy's looking good!

I also have another feather suggestion: could you cover the body with feather shapes cut from thin material, like foamboard or masonite, and then put the vinyl on top of that? Or would the vinyl just smooth over anything like that?

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I was thinking of a scene like this, where the visitors, possibly in a rest area, get to look up at the pachy. And of course, He looks down on them...



You could make use of the trees though - have some Microraptors clambering up into the branches... I see you have Archaeopteryx and Rhamphorynchus, how are they displayed?

There is one place I could achieve that height but it's off the main path ..I might put him in the woods somewhere next year, then just move him later on when we expand off the path.

Microraptor would be a good one to do eventually. I'm almost hoping CollectA produces one next one year..lol  Archeopteryx, we have one in flight mounted on a pole, another on a log wings out. The Rhamphorynchus I have one pole mounted running from our juvenile Dilophosaurus and another with little ones ( WS pieces) hanging in our entrance area. 

Man, its been a while since I've replied!
First off, the plesiosaurs and the WIP pics all look great, poor little ammonite
I have an idea for your feather issue, but its probably one you've already considered, what about finding material already in the desired colour, so it wouldn't need to painted?

Thanks! You should post here more often! lol   

You hit on the easiest answer for sure. But..you knew that was coming right?...we don't get to really choose colors, just have to use what we're given. Right now I have bit of neon orange,some white, and black. Now I guess color-wise on this guy I was thinking mostly brown..maybe some other bird colors mixed in to have a sort of pattern. Not sure yet. Still trying to figure out whether it will be a Nothronychus or a young Therizinosaurus...there may not be much difference between the two really.

Pachy's looking good!

I also have another feather suggestion: could you cover the body with feather shapes cut from thin material, like foamboard or masonite, and then put the vinyl on top of that? Or would the vinyl just smooth over anything like that?

Thanks.  Good idea..if it was something like chicken wire it might work...but basically the vinyl pulls tight over the surface..at least for the most part. That's how we get larger bumps/scales in a piece.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I've been looking for some good general fish replicas to use for our marine exhibit, but they seem a bit difficult to find( seems I keep having that issue) . I was considering the Wild Safari Piranha , seems there are related prehistoric species that were marine around the Cretaceous.. what do you guys think? 

[triceratops83]

I've been looking for some good general fish replicas to use for our marine exhibit, but they seem a bit difficult to find( seems I keep having that issue) . I was considering the Wild Safari Piranha , seems there are related prehistoric species that were marine around the Cretaceous.. what do you guys think?

Seafood shops seem to be able to get Life size plastic fish for display behind the counter. So they must be available from somewhere. I'll ask next time I'm in one. Otherwise, Ebay could turn up something interesting.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

I've been looking for some good general fish replicas to use for our marine exhibit, but they seem a bit difficult to find( seems I keep having that issue) . I was considering the Wild Safari Piranha , seems there are related prehistoric species that were marine around the Cretaceous.. what do you guys think?

Seafood shops seem to be able to get Life size plastic fish for display behind the counter. So they must be available from somewhere. I'll ask next time I'm in one. Otherwise, Ebay could turn up something interesting.

Just did a search on there for plastic fish nautical decor and got el zippo. A local children's museum had a faux grocery store in it that several species of plastic fish and other seafood..like 2' fish some of them. But the museum has had those since I was little, 30+ years and none of the current staff knows where they came from.

[triceratops83]

I can't find plastic fish, but if you type in "fish artificial" in Ebay, it comes up with jellyfish and coral/seaweed for aquariums which you could put to some use. Also, a bit of a stretch, I found glow in the dark squid fishing lures, about 4 inches. You might have to use more invertebrates and just have a couple of more expensive Safari Incredible Creatures fish.

[stargatedalek]

The safari flying fish is one I recommend in particular. Fishing lures could work,  but keep in mind that the soft material used for them can have adverse reactions to soft plastics or paint if left in contact for a long time (I've learned this the hard way using them as accessories in dioramas).

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

No worries. If the piranha will work some small fish that's all we'll use for the time being..I did find these guys around 12" long : http://www.ebay.com/itm/131439348349?_trksid=p2060778.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

They might work if we can afford them...especially if we only use them on a back wall.

Do the flying fish have prehistoric contemporaries? I have a book called Fossil Fish if I can find it.  Shame they don't make sardine replicas.. lol

[tyrantqueen]

Have you considered taxidermy replicas?

http://www.sportsmanstaxidermy.com/Fishreplica.html

They might need painting but they look fantastic since they're cast from the real thing. The only problem is figuring out which ones would work as prehistoric...

Also there are those rubber gyotaku fish that people use for printing. Cheap and you can get them from Dick Blick.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Have you considered taxidermy replicas?

http://www.sportsmanstaxidermy.com/Fishreplica.html

They might need painting but they look fantastic since they're cast from the real thing. The only problem is figuring out which ones would work as prehistoric...

Also there are those rubber gyotaku fish that people use for printing. Cheap and you can get them from Dick Blick.

Interesting ideas.  Are the gyotaku fish double-sided?

I did find these on a site I use regularly : http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/Unpainted-Baitfish-C2003.aspx about 5-7" at 15.00 each.

[triceratops83]

Hey Blade, here's an Ebay seller based in Texas that has a lot of AAA brand figures, including fish.
http://stores.ebay.com.au/handhwinnerscircle?_trksid=p2047675.l2563

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Cool, I'll check him out. Already looking to get a big AAA sea turtle.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Any info on the extent of horns on Pachycephalosaurus?  Older restorations stuck with boney bumps or tiny horns, modern ones seem to put horns on there to the extent of Stygimoloch at the least.

[triceratops83]

Any info on the extent of horns on Pachycephalosaurus?  Older restorations stuck with boney bumps or tiny horns, modern ones seem to put horns on there to the extent of Stygimoloch at the least.

I assumed that there might be some wear and tear on the fossils, the spikes being blunted with time and travel. Is the idea still valid of Pachycephalosaurs being upland creatures - their thick skulls being the only and strongest part of the skeleton to survive long enough to reach a suitable place for fossilization?

I think you'd be safe giving each nodule a sharp point, just not the length of Stygimoloch.

[Blade-of-the-Moon]

Any info on the extent of horns on Pachycephalosaurus?  Older restorations stuck with boney bumps or tiny horns, modern ones seem to put horns on there to the extent of Stygimoloch at the least.

I assumed that there might be some wear and tear on the fossils, the spikes being blunted with time and travel. Is the idea still valid of Pachycephalosaurs being upland creatures - their thick skulls being the only and strongest part of the skeleton to survive long enough to reach a suitable place for fossilization?

I think you'd be safe giving each nodule a sharp point, just not the length of Stygimoloch.

Especially not my Stygimoloch... lol

I'm not certain..a lot of what I've read say they were prey for tyrannosaurs which may or may not have lived in the mountains as well.